Humble Indie Bundle 3 focuses on one dev, offers unreleased games

The third edition of the Humble Indie Bundle features five games from just one …

Given the success of the first twoHumble Indie Bundles, it's no surprise that there's now a third. What is surprising though, is how the latest iteration of the promotion has been structured. Instead of gathering games from several developers, we now have the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle, which focuses exclusively on the Finnish developer behind the action co-op hit Trine. The bundle includes not only the studio's hits, but also a now-cancelled prototype and an upcoming release.

Ars had the chance to speak with Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen about how the bundle came to be and just what those who purchase it can expect.

The bundle launched a little over 24 hours ago and offers five different games: Trine, Shadowgrounds, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, a prototype of the cancelled Jack Claw, and the upcoming Splot. More than 80,000 bundles have already been sold, earning over $400,000. And that's just in one day. Like previous bundles, those who purchase can pay whatever they want, and are able to divide that amount amongst both the developer and various charities.

Hyvärinen told Ars that Frozenbyte had been looking at doing a pay-what-you-want sale for some time, but the technical challenges seemed too daunting.

Humble Frozenbyte Bundle

"In December 2010 the second Humble Bundle launched, and at the same time we tried to learn about their technical solutions and we were absolutely amazed by the amount of technical awesomeness on the site, and also were worried by the fact that it seemed to require too much programming and Web development skills, and we didn't have any spare programmers from our development teams," he explained.

"We also realized that while the Humble Indie Bundles were doing absolutely amazing in terms of sales and user satisfaction, there were many poorly executed pay-what-you-want campaigns, which failed to raise any significant attention. So, we thought to ask the Humble Bundle guys if they would be interested in cooperating with us, and John and Jeff over there were really enthusiastic about the idea. I think it was a great match for both of us. We began throwing ideas in late December and gradually worked on those plans until the launch."

One of the biggest selling points of previous bundles has been the multiplatform aspect, as the majority of games can all be played on PC, Mac, and Linux. So the Frozenbyte bundle represents a number of firsts. It's the debut of Trine on Linux and the first time that the Shadowgrounds games have been available for Macs.

Of the five games in the bundle, only three are fully finished products. In fact, Jack Claw is actually a prototype of a game that the studio had worked on for three years before being forced to cancel it.

Concept art from Jack Claw

"It never saw the light of day before because although we had attracted a lot of publisher interest, eventually it became clear that the publishers who had faith in the game didn't have the money, and the publishers who had the money didn't have faith in us as a team," Hyvärinen said of the game. "Game developers typically have a lot of prototypes or concepts that are developed to a certain stage, and then abandoned. We think it'd be cool to have more of these out there."

"We actually hope that the community would have an interest in developing the game further," he continued. "To that end we've released the source code and will try to provide support to any projects that spring up. A little bit like crowd-sourcing I guess, although it's still early days to see how everything turns out eventually. There seems to be a lot of interest in the game, though."

Bundle purchasers will also be preordering one of the studio's upcoming games, Splot, which Hyvärinen describes as a a cute physics-puzzle-platformer. It will also be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Once the game is available on Steam, users will get a code for that as well. It's expected to be released sometime this summer.

As the only developer to be the sole focus of a Humble Bundle, the team at Frozenbyte was naturally a bit nervous at first, but despite a few technical issues Hyvärinen is pleased with the reaction. At least so far.

"Humble Frozenbyte Bundle seems to be going very well already, but of course we won't celebrate before it's all done and the very last support requests are handled properly," he told Ars. "We are really happy about the current sales though, and it's going to help us a lot in going forward. We've basically been self-funding our games for a year or two, but recently we had to delay Trine 2 to late summer 2011 instead of spring to ensure it's as great as it can be, and that caused a little bit of financial worry—luckily the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle sales have been so good that I think we'll be good on that front."

I already have Trine but I'm probably in for a bundle just because I really want to support this model of doing business. It sure beats the hell out of being treated like a criminal for wanting to buy a game.

Yup yup. Paid $50 and not regretting it; Trine is so fantastic I haven't even touched Shadowgrounds or Shadowgrounds:Survivor yet... and, yeah, I like rewarding companies for NOT treating me like a #@$!ing criminal.

I pull the sliders over to pay the developers and the Humble Bundle guys, with a tidbit left over for the EFF - it's not about giving to charity, for me, it's about rewarding this style of game marketing and distribution. Fully cross-platform? Yes please! Fully DRM-free? Yes please! Here's your moneys!

Yup yup. Paid $50 and not regretting it; Trine is so fantastic I haven't even touched Shadowgrounds or Shadowgrounds:Survivor yet... and, yeah, I like rewarding companies for NOT treating me like a #@$!ing criminal.

I pull the sliders over to pay the developers and the Humble Bundle guys, with a tidbit left over for the EFF - it's not about giving to charity, for me, it's about rewarding this style of game marketing and distribution. Fully cross-platform? Yes please! Fully DRM-free? Yes please! Here's your moneys!

There are those of us who already rewarded the developer by buying the game the first time around, and don't mind moving some of that $ to needy kids this time. The EFF's about to get a hefty check from Hotz for the non-existent trial, they don't need me fluffing their pockets any further.

I never have time to actually play games, but I love the business-model so much I've already payed for the two first bundles. Knowing myself pretty well by now I'll probably chip in a few bucks for this one as well

I already bought Trine on Impulse months ago, and was happy to see this company participate in the HB! This is my 3rd HB, and I buy my usual 2 copies of it (one for me and one for my sister's children). Jack Claw looks neato and I appreciate a chance to check it out and play with the source code. Being able to add these games, most of which I would never have purchased, to Steam and Desura is awesome! I am happy to support these companies that go out of their way to respect us and help charity. Thank you HB team for helping developers who trust the community, and thank you Frozenbyte for joining in! I wish all of you much continued success and look forward to buying Trine 2!

I'd love to get in on this, but does anyone know the system requirements for these games? My PC is a decommissioned DVR, I think around 3.1 ghz single core processor, 3 gb ram, ATI Radeon 4300 series graphics...only game I play on it is the latest S.T.A.L.K.E.R., at highest resolution but lowest settings, and its a bit gittery...

I can't decide what to give for this one. I bought Trine for my GF but I'd kind of like a copy for myself, so that's an easy $5. But the rest don't interest me all that much. Still, I guess I've gotta raise help raise the average and encourage future bundles

I never have time to actually play games, but I love the business-model so much I've already payed for the two first bundles.

This is pretty much me -- neither much time to play nor much $$ available to buy -- but what I do send them is essentially a donation (so far) just to reward them for having this kind of approach to marketing, rejecting DRM, and supporting Linux.

Like many of you, I appreciate that they're showing Linux (and Mac) users some love here, and not using draconian DRM, but I outright reject the notion that the Humble Bundle doesn't treat you like a criminal.

The first two have both flipped on gamers, saying that more gamers pirate than pay, and used their stats to show that. That's one reason why I keep a good distance from them. I don't even need to call it in advance -- one commenter above has posted that they're showing that Windows customers are cheapskates. I don't want to put on a wall of shame because keeping the lights on was more important than paying top dollar for games. I reckon I could pirate them, but I don't want to do that, either, so I just leave them alone.

But hey, maybe the third time will be the charm and they'll just run it how the optimists here think they will.

Like many of you, I appreciate that they're showing Linux (and Mac) users some love here, and not using draconian DRM, but I outright reject the notion that the Humble Bundle doesn't treat you like a criminal.

The first two have both flipped on gamers, saying that more gamers pirate than pay, and used their stats to show that.

This is in no way "treating you like a criminal." It was a rough analysis of the sales versus the download data and wasn't used to punish anybody but merely to try and answer the question of whether or not people will pirate something that's almost free. They had the opportunity to look into it with this sale and look into they did. There was no consequence other than generating discussion. It certainly didn't stop them from putting on more HIB sales or changing their stance on DRM. If you want to compare that to the "treating you like a criminal" attitude that major publishers seem to have, well, I have to ponder your username. ;P

Windows average lowest again. and really low this time. I will watch the counter and see purchase for $.10, $.30, $2.00. Trine itself is worth $10 alone!

Well, there's only three full games at the moment, and I'm guessing that, through various Steam sales, many people have them all already (I think I paid $4 for Trine and $2 each for the Shadowgrounds games). I still threw $5.50 at the bundle, though.

Like many of you, I appreciate that they're showing Linux (and Mac) users some love here, and not using draconian DRM, but I outright reject the notion that the Humble Bundle doesn't treat you like a criminal.

The first two have both flipped on gamers, saying that more gamers pirate than pay, and used their stats to show that.

This is in no way "treating you like a criminal." It was a rough analysis of the sales versus the download data and wasn't used to punish anybody but merely to try and answer the question of whether or not people will pirate something that's almost free. They had the opportunity to look into it with this sale and look into they did. There was no consequence other than generating discussion. It certainly didn't stop them from putting on more HIB sales or changing their stance on DRM. If you want to compare that to the "treating you like a criminal" attitude that major publishers seem to have, well, I have to ponder your username. ;P

My username is not meant to be ironic... or pondered. It means exactly what you suggest and that I implied. I'm cynical. And I call 'em like I see 'em.

You're right, though, they haven't changed their stance on DRM after the first two, and they've done two more. And I do like what they're doing with regards to charity.

They may not be trying to punish anybody directly, aside from their wall of shame, however it looks on the site. However, while any developer can use Humble Indie Bundle piracy (or non/under payment) as an excuse to stick with DRM, HIB developers and organizers fussing about it every time just makes it easier.

It's pretty much a honeypot, unless you paid a good amount for it -- I'd say $25 or more -- that works out to $5 a game, which is fair for a grab bag, I think. That's what I thought HIB II was worth, at least. Not sure about this one, I haven't gotten a chance to look at it more closely. Or unless you just don't care. In which case you might as well pirate. I mean, I do care -- if I play a game, I generally want to know that what I paid for it is going to support those who made it. So when I see a developer who says "name your price" and then turns around and whines that people paid too little, I don't want to support that.

And it seems this problem never came up with those albums that had the "name your price" gimmick. I think Weezer and the Offspring did it? Radiohead? People could buy the album for whatever or nothing, and I never heard the band complaining about it. The label had plenty to say, but that's beside the point.

Like many of you, I appreciate that they're showing Linux (and Mac) users some love here, and not using draconian DRM, but I outright reject the notion that the Humble Bundle doesn't treat you like a criminal.

The first two have both flipped on gamers, saying that more gamers pirate than pay, and used their stats to show that.

This is in no way "treating you like a criminal." It was a rough analysis of the sales versus the download data and wasn't used to punish anybody but merely to try and answer the question of whether or not people will pirate something that's almost free. They had the opportunity to look into it with this sale and look into they did. There was no consequence other than generating discussion. It certainly didn't stop them from putting on more HIB sales or changing their stance on DRM. If you want to compare that to the "treating you like a criminal" attitude that major publishers seem to have, well, I have to ponder your username. ;P

My username is not meant to be ironic... or pondered. It means exactly what you suggest and that I implied. I'm cynical. And I call 'em like I see 'em.

You're right, though, they haven't changed their stance on DRM after the first two, and they've done two more. And I do like what they're doing with regards to charity.

They may not be trying to punish anybody directly, aside from their wall of shame, however it looks on the site. However, while any developer can use Humble Indie Bundle piracy (or non/under payment) as an excuse to stick with DRM, HIB developers and organizers fussing about it every time just makes it easier.

It's pretty much a honeypot, unless you paid a good amount for it -- I'd say $25 or more -- that works out to $5 a game, which is fair for a grab bag, I think. That's what I thought HIB II was worth, at least. Not sure about this one, I haven't gotten a chance to look at it more closely. Or unless you just don't care. In which case you might as well pirate. I mean, I do care -- if I play a game, I generally want to know that what I paid for it is going to support those who made it. So when I see a developer who says "name your price" and then turns around and whines that people paid too little, I don't want to support that.

And it seems this problem never came up with those albums that had the "name your price" gimmick. I think Weezer and the Offspring did it? Radiohead? People could buy the album for whatever or nothing, and I never heard the band complaining about it. The label had plenty to say, but that's beside the point.

The only thing that they did was to make the observation that piracy is out of control.

Frankly, I think that they could have used a far more rigorous statistical analysis in order to draw their conclusion, but I do not doubt that people are willing and able to pirate something that they could buy for 1 penny if it suited them. Surely you have to admit that it is a fascinating insight into human nature?

I would hardly call making this observation labeling everyone as a criminal.

They may not be trying to punish anybody directly, aside from their wall of shame, however it looks on the site.

What is this "wall of shame" you refer to? The average payment per platform in the white box? Those are just plain statistics; they show what people are actually doing, and if you interpret it as virtue or shame, well that's all on you.

Quote:

So when I see a developer who says "name your price" and then turns around and whines that people paid too little, I don't want to support that.

They posted that people were torrenting the games for free, when gamers were given the option of paying 1 cent. I'd say that's more an observation of human behavior than "whining". Plus it doesn't account for the fact that at least a portion of those did pay and were probably just being nice by taking the load off the HIB servers. I know I did when I wanted Mac copies. (edit: D'oh, FactorMitigation posted pretty much the same argument)

Damn it! I haven't even been able to play through the games in the first HIB, yet. But I'm totes buying this anyway because these guys, and the devs participating, definitely deserve all the support they can get.

Like many of you, I appreciate that they're showing Linux (and Mac) users some love here, and not using draconian DRM, but I outright reject the notion that the Humble Bundle doesn't treat you like a criminal.

The first two have both flipped on gamers, saying that more gamers pirate than pay, and used their stats to show that.

This is in no way "treating you like a criminal." It was a rough analysis of the sales versus the download data and wasn't used to punish anybody but merely to try and answer the question of whether or not people will pirate something that's almost free. They had the opportunity to look into it with this sale and look into they did. There was no consequence other than generating discussion. It certainly didn't stop them from putting on more HIB sales or changing their stance on DRM. If you want to compare that to the "treating you like a criminal" attitude that major publishers seem to have, well, I have to ponder your username. ;P

Couldn't have said it better. I will also support this one as I have in the past.

I just chipped $25 their way because I like to support devs that target linux, the more incentive we give the more support in the future hopefully. Trine looks like an actually very nice and thought out game as well.